


Grand Prize

by thatwriterlady



Series: 30 Day Writing Challenge 2016 [22]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: 30 Day Challenge 2016, Alternate Universe - Reality Show, Attraction, Bisexual Dean Winchester, Castiel Likes Dean, Competition-Set Fic, Dean Likes Castiel, Dean is good at what he does, First Kiss, Fluff, Grand prize a million bucks and a contract, Hair stylist Balthazar, Hair stylist Garth, M/M, Makeup Artist Castiel, Makeup artist Dean Winchester, Pansexual Castiel, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-22
Updated: 2016-11-22
Packaged: 2018-09-07 05:16:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8784589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatwriterlady/pseuds/thatwriterlady
Summary: Dean and Castiel are competing on a reality show for the chance at a contract with one of the top makeup companies in the world, and a cool million bucks.  They're both damn good at what they do and despite an immediate attraction to one another, Castiel is a little intimidated by Dean.  You see, Dean doesn't often lose at competitions like this, however this time around, he has something else much more important that he stands to lose: His heart.





	

**Author's Note:**

> It took me FOREVER to get this story finished! I have had limited wifi access combined with some issues with my health and the health of my older daughter, and on top of all of that, I'm being harassed on Tumblr. Someone apparently didn't grow up and thinks baiting me is going to get a rise out of me. Too bad that crap won't work on me. 
> 
> I am still continuing this challenge, I've just had so little time to actually write lately, but I did get this one finished, and it is a pretty long one. I will make a few disclaimers of sorts here before you go on to read this:
> 
> 1.) I don't watch reality tv. I've caught a few episodes here and there of shows like Face Off, Dancing With the Stars, or cooking shows, but I have never watched one from start to finish. Generally I find them dull and about as far from reality as one can get. 
> 
> 2.) I let my younger daughter, who fancies herself to be a self made makeup guru, choose what the boys would be competing in for this prompt as it simply said "Competing". There is a lot that 2 people can compete at and I felt that a lot of it had already been done so many times that mine would just fall to the wayside and be forgotten. So when she suggested them competing on a reality show as makeup artists, I jumped at the idea. Then immediately regretted it. Describing makeup application isn't easy!
> 
> 3.) I was aiming for a show that didn't go the way the producers wanted. They wanted drama, the artists ended up getting along. They wanted conflict, the artists actually help one another out. They wanted spice and romance despite contracts saying the artists couldn't enter into relationships with their models, the artist turn out to not want to do that anyway. And that was a blast to put into writing.
> 
> Please forgive my lack of real knowledge on reality shows. You're more likely to find me watching SPN, GOT, or horror movies than you are reality shows. I tried, and some things I skipped over because I still have 7 more fics to write for this, lol. I hope you like it!

[](http://www.pizap.com/image/707476471pizapw1481152710.jpg)  
on [piZap.com](http://www.pizap.com)

 

 

**_Day 22: Competing_ **

 

“Booth 12 is yours.  You can start setting up now.” 

 

Dean nodded and walked along the little partitioned spaces until he reached the one marked 12.  He set his suitcases down carefully and began setting his space up. Garth, his assistant, appeared with the rest of their tools and products.  Dean was in a zone, busy making sure nothing had been jostled or broken in transport as he set everything out.

 

“Do we know yet who our first model is?”  Garth asked.

 

“No, and they haven’t said what look we’re supposed to be doing either.”  Dean murmured.  Laughter rang out from the booth next to theirs, No. 13, and Dean found himself looking up.  The voice was deep, sexy.  Shaking himself out of it, he finished his setup just in time for one of the show’s assistants to appear.

 

“So we’re going to do an introduction segment first, a little ‘get to know you’ sort of thing so viewers at home can get a feel for who they’ll be voting on here.  There are so many shows like this one, which is why we’re going to be doing things a little different, in an attempt to increase ratings,” she was explaining.

 

“Different?  Different _how_?”  Garth asked.

 

“We have 13 models that are not models at all.  They’re regular women we brought in off the street.  You’re not going to be working with Kardashians or supermodels.  These will be regular women, and a couple of men we brought in right off the streets of New York,” she replied.

 

Dean narrowed his eyes as he listened to her talk.  This wasn’t what he had signed up for.

 

“I was told we’d be working with models.”

 

“You are, just not the ones you are used to working with.”  She checked her watch before hurrying to the next booth.  Dean turned to look at Garth, not even attempting to hide his annoyance.

 

“Well, to be fair, the contract only said we’d work with models.  Not that they would be runway or actresses or anything.”  Garth shrugged.  Dean rolled his eyes.

 

“Yeah, well, I can work with anything they throw our way.  You just better be able to anticipate my moves.  We’re going to have our work cut out for us,” he sighed. 

 

“Not like that would be the first time,”  Garth muttered as he got his own brushes, clips, and styling tools out.

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

“I’m sorry, _what?_ ”  Castiel couldn’t believe what he was hearing.  The last time he’d worked on just a regular person that he wasn’t directly related to, he’d probably still been in high school. 

 

“You’ll have models, just not the celebrities you were expecting, darling.”  Balthazar was still pulling his own equipment from one of the bags and setting it all up so he could grab what he needed easily.

 

“That’s outrageous!”  Castiel exclaimed.  The poor assistant flinched and backed up a step.

 

“It’s all in the contract.  Your manager must have explained it all,” she said.  Castiel clenched his jaw shut and pulled out his phone. 

 

“No, he did _not_ tell me that this was what we were doing.”

 

He shot off an angry text to his manager.

 

“It’s for a million dollar contract to work with Estee Lauder.  You can make anyone beautiful,” Balthazar said. He nodded to the assistant, and she hurried away. “You can do this. You’ve done makeup for the president’s wife, for more Hollywood faces than I care to list, and you can easily do this.”

 

Castiel groaned as he went back to setting his equipment up.  Somehow he felt like he was really getting screwed over.

 

“Do we know what kind of competition we’re up against?” he asked quietly.  The booths didn’t have doors, and they were separated by thin cubicle-like walls.  Anyone in the next booth could hear them if they weren’t careful.

 

“I heard we have some stiff competition, no pun intended.”  Balthazar winked mischievously.  Castiel snorted as he opened his box of brushes.

 

“I need names, Balth.  _Names._ ”

 

“Well, I heard Michael Angelino is here, Charlie Bradbury, Bela Talbot, Dick Roman, best watch out for him, he’s a sneaky bastard, Aaron Bass, Dean Winchester…”

 

Castiel whipped around to look at him.

 

“Dean Winchester is here?  You’re sure?”

 

Balthazar pointed at the wall Castiel currently had his back to.

 

“He’s in booth 12, love.”

 

Castiel gripped the back of the chair his models would be sitting in as he worked on them and took a deep breath.  Most of the people here, he’d beaten before in other competitions, even Dick Roman who played dirty to win, but he’d never been up against Dean Winchester.  He knew Dean’s rep though.  He was one of the top makeup artists in the _world_ , and when he entered a competition, he won.  Why he was here, aiming for a contract with Estee Lauder, was beyond Castiel’s realm of comprehension.  It put him on edge, though, knowing the man was here.

 

“Well fuck,” he muttered.

 

“He might be interested.  I hear rumors,” Balthazar teased. Castiel shot him a baleful look. Not that he wasn’t interested; Dean Winchester was drop dead gorgeous, but he was competition.  He had to beat Dean Winchester if he wanted this contract.  This contract was the difference between having to travel abroad again or getting to stay home with his daughter and work from right here in the city. He _needed_ to win. This was going to be a long 12 weeks.

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

“Ok!  I need artists up front, now!”  A man with a clipboard and a headpiece on yelled.  Dean patted Garth on the shoulder before leaving their booth.  He took a look around, seeing several familiar faces and even more he had never seen in person but knew by reputation.  Michael Angelino was good, but Dean had beaten him at least 6 times previously.  He wasn’t worried about him.  Charlie Bradbury was pretty new to all of this and while he hadn’t been in a competition against her, he was pretty confident that he would knock her out of the competition fairly early on.  Bella Talbot, now she was trouble.  So was Dick Roman.  They played dirty, and he had no respect for anyone that cheated.  Once, Bella had stolen 2 of his contouring brushes, but Dean was prepared and had another entire brush set ready and waiting.  Dick liked to tamper with makeup, which was why he had taken to locking his up when he wasn’t with it, or Garth wasn’t there to watch it.  He didn’t trust either of those 2.  Aaron Bass, he was easy to beat.  He was good, but he was slow and too methodical, so he usually got himself eliminated from competitions for that alone.  Looking to his left, he had to do a double take.  Castiel Novak was here.  _Castiel Novak_!  He’d never been up against the man in a competition, but he had a reputation that preceded him. He was good at what he did, cocky, self-assured, and rumored to be fiercely competitive. And he usually won whatever competition he was in.  Hmm, so on top of being gorgeous, he was actually a potentially worthy competitor. He faced forward as a woman came and clipped a mic to his shirt.

 

“Did you _have_ to wear flannel?” she muttered.  He got the impression that she hadn’t meant for him to hear, but he had.

 

“Because I don’t dress up unless I have to.  If I’m dealing in makeup and attitude problems, I’m doing it while I’m comfortable,” he said.  Her eyes snapped up to his face, her embarrassment apparent.

 

“I didn’t…I mean…”

 

He chuckled.  “It’s fine, sweetheart.  But I’m not losing the flannel.  It’s in my contract.”  He winked, grinning when she hurried on to Castiel.  Dean took the opportunity to check the man out.  He was tall with an amazing body, thick thighs, and wild, dark hair that didn’t seem to want to be tamed.  Pictures didn’t do the man justice.  He was stunning in person.  Someone to his right nudged him, and he turned to see Charlie standing there.

 

“Hi.  You’re Dean Winchester, aren’t you?” she asked as she offered a hand.  He nodded as he shook it.

 

“And you’re Charlie Bradbury.”

 

She seemed impressed and more than a little pleased he knew who she was.

 

“Yep.  Though I think I’m way out of my league here.  The show contacted me, not the other way around.  I know I don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning this contract.  They should just hand it over to you right now,” she said with a laugh. 

 

“Don’t sell yourself short.  There’s a lot of talent here, and they wouldn’t have contacted you if they didn’t think you were good.  And for the record, they contacted all of us.  This was kept hush until they had all the artists lined up.  Did you know that we’re not using professional models?  We’re using regular people brought in right off the street,” he said.  She nodded.

 

“Yeah, they came to my booth and told me.  Doesn’t make much of a difference to me.  A face is a face.” 

 

Dean had to admit she had a point.  His only concern was people with possible infectious diseases, allergies, or deformities that couldn’t be covered up with makeup.  Not that he begrudged anyone that had any of those things.  It just lessened his chances of winning and wow…he realized in that moment that he sounded very superficial.  That was not like him. 

 

“You’re right.  Whatever they throw at us, we can handle.”

 

She smiled brightly.

 

“At the very least it’s a learning experience, and we’re going to have fun.”

 

He had to agree, this was definitely going to be both!

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

The introduction segment was a nightmare.  They had lights shined in their faces and were told to smile and flirt with the camera while being blinded by them, and then they went through short, individual introductions.  Dean talked about how he was single, living on the Upper East Side with his brother, who he was putting through college, and how he’d gotten into makeup in college when a friend had asked him to help her apply some for a date she was going on.

 

“Rhonda had no experience with makeup, and her first attempt had her in tears.  She swore she looked like a circus clown.  I couldn’t just stand by and see her like that, so I offered to help.  I recalled how I’d seen some girls I’d dated wore theirs, and I was an art major at the time, so I sort of combined what I knew of art with what I knew of makeup, and I set about doing hers for her.  She was thrilled.  Her date thought she looked incredible and here we are, 15 years later, and she’s happily married to him.  I did her makeup for her wedding too, and for the entire bridal party.  Thanks to Rhonda, after earning my art degree, I went to cosmetology school where I got the chance to learn from the best of the best, and I apply their techniques combined with some of my own.  I enjoy doing makeup and look forward to proving my worth to Estee Lauder.” 

 

He had flashed his nicest smile, the one that charmed the panties off of women, and the boxers off of men on occasion.  His job was to seduce the home viewers, and that was exactly what he was going to do.

 

Standing just off stage, Dean watched as Castiel took his seat for his own interview.  Frankly he was looking forward to getting to hear the man talk.  Castiel smiled at the camera, but it was rather stiff.  He was clearly nervous.  He spoke of having friends in high school that got him to join the drama club, and he took theatre all 4 years, landing himself the gig of makeup artist for basically every play the school produced.  That was where he found his passion, so from there he went to school to learn to master it.  Then he he made his way in, first as a makeup artist for movies, then moving up until he had landed an account with MAC.  He had done makeup for hundreds of celebrities, but he was most proud of having had the opportunity to work with the First Lady on multiple occasions.  It was standard introductions, to give the viewers a feel for his talents, but even Dean was impressed.  He’d worked with Princess Kate more than once upon request, but not the First Lady. 

 

“Mostly I admire Estee Lauder, and this is a prime opportunity to work hand in hand with them.  To get the chance to work out of their New York location would mean I’d get to spend more time with my daughter, Claire.  She’s 16 now and considering a career in cosmetology too. I want to continue to set a positive example for her that hard work and determination can pave the road to real success.  I am happy for this opportunity, and I will work very hard to show America what I am capable of.”

 

Dean was impressed even more, and maybe a little disappointed. The gorgeous Castiel Novak had a kid. Kids came with marriage. Darn.  With a sigh, he headed back to his booth.  They were filming the first episode in less than half an hour.

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

“Interview go well?”  Garth asked when Dean came back.

 

“Yeah, it went fine.  I did what I could to charm the people watching.  Hopefully it doesn’t get cut.”

 

“It won’t, the opening episode is filmed live.  I DVR’d it, but I watched it on my phone too.  While you talked, they shared pictures.  There was a nice one of you doing Rhonda’s makeup before the wedding.”  Garth had taken a snapshot and showed him.  Dean groaned.

 

“Damn, I had a mullet then.  I could do makeup but not style my own hair properly.  I was a mess.”

 

“Until you met me.  That’s what I’m here for,”  Garth said happily.  Dean laughed and patted his friend on the shoulder.  He’d met Garth way back at cosmetology school, and they’d immediately hit it off.  Garth could do makeup but his specialty was hair, the more dry and rat’s nest like it was, the better he worked with it.  Together they had built an empire.  They co-owned a chain of salons and day spas across New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.  It went by Winchester Spas, but Garth was an equal partner.  He had logically chosen to leave his name off since it was Dean’s name that had brought the clientele in.  Every single stylist, makeup artist, and additional staff was carefully trained and their business boomed.  Currently the were putting Mario Tricoci salons out of business, especially since they had opened 2 cosmetology schools of their own.  They had plans to expand farther, heading west.  Garth wanted to open up a salon in Beverly Hills and another in LA.  Dean was in agreement.  Their salons would do very well.

 

“Dunno what I’d do without you, buddy.” 

 

Garth grinned.  There was no one else that Dean got along as well with as this guy.  Even with his brother he argued, but never with Garth.  Noise drew their attention, and they poked their heads out of the booth in time to see Castiel walking back to his own booth.  People were milling about.

 

“That the people we’re working on?”  Dean wondered.  Castiel stopped to look back at the small crowd of people standing around looking rather lost.

 

“From the expressions on their faces, I would have to say yes.”

 

Dean met his eyes.  Damn, they were blue.

 

“Good luck, Cas.  I mean that.”

 

Castiel smiled softly. 

 

“You as well, Dean, though I doubt you’ll need it quite as much.”

 

“We all need a little luck.” Dean winked, liking the surprised look on the other man’s face, before turning his attention to the people gathered again.  The man with the clipboard was handing out pieces of paper to each one of them.

 

“Attention!  Everybody look at me!  Your artist has been chosen at random.  Look at the number on your slip and find the booth with that number and the theme for this set. We have 6 cameras available, so we will do this in shifts. Even numbers first!  If you have an even number, seek out your artist now!”

 

Dean looked back at Garth, who was still grinning and gave him a thumbs up.  He couldn’t help but laugh.  If Garth had faith, then he would too.  A woman that barely came to Dean’s chest started heading in his direction.  She had to be in her 60s with freshly washed hair and enough wrinkles to make a roadmap look smooth.  When she reached them she double checked the number on her paper. 

 

“I guess I’m with you,” she said, chuckling as she held up the piece of paper to reveal the number 12 and the words “ _Night on the Town”_.

 

“I guess you are.  I’m Dean.  What’s your name?”  He asked as he guided her to the chair.  The cameraman was already there filming, and both he and Garth pointedly ignored him.

 

“I’m Doris.”

 

“When’s the last time you got pampered, Doris?” he asked.

 

“Oh, never!  I’ve had my hair styled on and off over the years for different things, like weddings, but I’ve always done my own makeup,” she replied as he put an apron around her neck and secured it.

 

“Well, you’re in for a delight here, Doris.  Garth here, he and I own Winchester Salons and Day Spas.  Ever heard of them?”  He had already evaluated her face, deciding on a smoky eye look, and was applying primer as he talked.

 

“Oh, yes!  I had my hair done there for my youngest son’s wedding a few years back.  That was the nicest my hair has ever looked!” 

 

Garth’s chest puffed out proudly as he started styling her hair.  He was proud of how hard he had trained the stylists.

 

“Well, the man that trained the stylists that worked on your hair then, that’s who is going to fix your gorgeous locks now.  You’ll look amazing when we’re done,”  Dean promised.

 

“Oh, I can’t wait to see what you come up with!”  She was excited, and it was rubbing off on Dean. 

 

Part of the show’s premise was that they had to move fast.  They had exactly 30 minutes to do hair and makeup, except Dean was an expert at moving quickly.  He had her face primed with a product that tightened her skin, foundation applied, and was already working on her eyes within the first 5 minutes.  The foundation had already knocked off at least 10 years, and the eye serum he used took away the bags under her eyes as well as lifting her sagging eyelids.  Another rule of the show was that they were only to use Estee Lauder products.  Dean was ok with that since he had years of experience with the brand.  It was one of the ones they used in their salons.

 

“So, are you married, Dean?” she asked as he started applying eyeshadow.

 

“No, I am not.”  He shared a smile with Garth.  They both knew how often he got asked that question.  “But Garth here has a fiancée.  Sweet girl too.  She’s from South Dakota.”

 

“Oh, how delightful!  Get a prenup!”  Doris exclaimed.  Dean and Garth both had to take a moment.  That was too funny.

 

“I already have one written up; don’t you worry.” Garth patted her shoulder.

 

“Good.  Too many people marry for money and not love nowadays.  Gotta weed out the greedy ones.” 

 

“You’re absolutely right.  It’s why I’m not married.  All I seem to meet are the greedy ones.  I’m still looking.”  Dean carefully applied a thin line of eyeliner.  He was taking a chance with that but after he put on fake eyelashes and applied mascara, her blue eyes opened and he knew he’d made the right choice.  From there he applied pinkberry lipstick that worked for the night on the town theme as well as complementing her skin tone. Contouring was difficult but still doable, so he did it.  He finished with a light highlighting of her cheekbones and some blush.  A quick check of the time told him he had 7 minutes left.  Garth had taken her shoulder length near white hair and curled it and pulled it back in a clip, letting a couple of strands hang loose to frame her face.  Dean stepped back to study his work.  It was damn perfect.  He applied a makeup sealant as a final touch.

 

“May I ask how old you are, Doris?”

 

“I am 62,” she replied.

 

“Well, darlin’, we just knocked about 20 years off.”  He turned her so she could see her reflection.  She gasped and leaned forward to see it better.

 

“Oh!  You…oh my God!”  Her hand fluttered up to her face but didn’t actually touch.  “I look so good!  Thank you!”

 

“How do you like your hair?” he asked.  She turned her head left and then right to see what Garth had done.  Garth placed a hand-held mirror in her hand and spun her so she could see the back of her hair.

 

“It’s wonderful!  And I can’t believe you did it so quickly!”  She smiled up at Garth, and he smiled right back.

 

“I’ve been at this for a while now.  I knew exactly what I wanted to do with your hair the moment you walked in here.  I’m just glad you like it.” 

 

A bell dinged, signaling the end of the round.  Garth removed the apron from Doris while Dean helped her to her feet.

 

“Thank you, sweetie; I’m very happy with what you did.”  She reached up to pat Dean’s cheek, making him smile.

 

“It was a pleasure working with you, Doris.  We hope we’ll see you at one of the shops soon.”  He waved as she walked away.  The camera operator was still there though, taping them as they began cleaning and organizing.

 

“She was delightful.  I enjoyed working with her.”  Garth said.

 

“Me too, and I think the smoky eye was perfect to complement her blue eyes.  It really makes them pop,”  Dean agreed.

 

“And you picked the perfect lipstick.  Just enough color to make them pop for someone her age.  I think red would have washed her out.”  Garth was busy sweeping up the dead ends he had trimmed while Dean collected the brushes he would need to clean and sanitize.  The makeup had thankfully been provided in single-use tabs that he disposed of.

 

“That’s what I was thinking.  Red would have washed her pale skin out too much.  The pinkberry was perfect.”  Dean wiped down his work area before closing up his makeup cases and locking them. 

 

“I think we’re done until next week, right?”  Garth asked as they started gathering their things again.

 

“Yep, we are back here next Wednesday to find out who stays and who gets eliminated.  Then we do this all over again with a new model.”  Dean replied as he grabbed his cases.  Next week he was going to use his big case.  It was on wheels.

 

“Sweet, I can’t wait!”  Garth exclaimed.  Dean laughed as they headed out.  Dude had enthusiasm, he’d give him that.

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

Castiel stood with his fingers tented, waiting.  They had been instructed to stay inside their booth and not peek at any of the other contestants, and the wait was excruciating.  He had no idea what the theme was, what they would be working with, or what kind of New York attitude was going to be in his chair when it was his turn.  Balthazar was sitting in the corner, using one of the large makeup cases as a seat and texting his on again off again girlfriend, Hannah, who also happened to be Castiel’s older sister.

 

“What do you think the theme will be?” he asked.  Balthazar glanced up from his phone at the doorway.

 

“I have no idea. Could be something simple; could be something ridiculously complicated. I just hope we don’t get someone with dreadlocks.  I have very little experience with them, and I saw someone with them earlier.”

 

Castiel sighed before turning to make sure he had all the makeup and brushes ready for the millionth time.  He hated this part with shows like this.  The unknown frustrated him.  He liked knowing what he was going to be dealing with so he had time to plan, but shows like this wanted him to think on his feet and be spontaneous.  When a bell rang, signifying the end of the first round with the even-numbered booths, he nearly jumped out of his skin.  Balthazar stood up and slipped his phone into his pocket.

 

“We’re next, I suppose.”

 

Castiel nodded before moving towards the doorway.  He didn’t stick his head out though; that was against the rules and could get him disqualified.  It sounded like the woman Dean had been working with was extremely pleased with whatever he had done.  He hoped he got someone just as thankful.  Several minutes passed before a face appeared at the entrance to their booth.  A tall black man with very short hair.

 

“Um, hello,”  Castiel greeted him nervously.

 

“I got booth number 13.”  The man handed over his card and Castiel took it, reading the number and the words.

 

_“Booth 13- Night on the Town”_

 

What the hell was he going to do with this?  He looked up at the man, just noticing the cameraman coming up behind him.  Balthazar, always better at socializing than he was, stepped forward, offering his hand.

 

“My name is Balthazar, I do…hair.”  He looked at the obvious lack of hair on their model’s head before he motioned towards Castiel.  “And this is Castiel, he does makeup.  Looks like it’s our job to make you look utterly fabulous today.”  They both hesitated, waiting to see if the man would freak out or not.  When he smiled, they knew they were ok.

 

“My name’s Victor.  So how fabulous are we talking?”

 

Castiel turned the chair and motioned for him to sit.

 

“You’re alright with makeup?”  he asked.

 

“Well, you might be surprised to learn that I’m a drag queen.  So yes, I’m more than ok with makeup,”  Victor replied.  Castiel’s heart practically leapt with joy.

 

“Oh!  That’s wonderful!” 

 

“Cassie, 27 minutes.”  Balthazar tapped on his watch, and Castiel nodded before going into motion.

 

“Are you ok if I shave you?” he asked Victor.

 

“Go right ahead.”  Victor flashed him a smile and winked.  Castiel laughed as he got a hot towel ready.  He’d anticipated the possibility that they might get a man, and if he was going to shave him, he wasn’t leaving behind razor bumps.  He turned around to see that Balthazar had put the apron around the man’s neck.

 

“Alright then, let’s get started.”

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

Castiel found Victor to be funny and nice, and it took no more than 10 minutes to get him shaved, moisturized, and foundation applied.  Balthazar decided a wig was in order and once he asked questions about his drag persona, he decided a blonde wig would work best.  It would complement the golds Castiel was applying to the man’s eyes and lips.

 

“Castiel, how do you do that?  Estee doesn’t have a gold lipstick.”  The cameraman suddenly spoke up, reminding everyone inside the booth that this was all being recorded.

 

“It’s simple, really.  If you want a look, you can still use what is available.  They do have a white lipstick, and they make a shimmery gold eyeshadow.  I’ve done it many times, for many different celebrities.  It’s bolder and lasts longer than regular gold lipsticks, and the effect is much more stunning.”  Castiel explained as he ever so carefully dusted the gold powder over Victor’s lips.  Once he had it at the desired effect, he moved on to highlighting and then contouring.  He applied eyeliner and then the most dramatic fake eyelashes he had before stepping back to critique his work.

 

“Cassie, he looks absolutely stunning!”  Balthazar handed Victor a handheld mirror and turned him so he could see both his face and the way the wig had been styled.  Victor was grinning from ear to ear.

 

“Damn, I look good!  Diva Vanessa in the house!”

 

Castiel high fived Balthazar before leaning back against the table and crossing his arms.

 

“I’ve not often had an opportunity to do drag makeup.  I did drag in my early 20s.  Loved it.  I stopped after my daughter was born though.  A lot of my practice with makeup came from there, too.”

 

Victor turned the chair back around to face him. “You did drag?  I bet you were gorgeous, not that you aren’t like this.” He winked, making Castiel laugh.

 

“Yes, I make a gorgeous woman, if I do say so.  I think it’s the blue eyes and the lips.”  He winked right back.

 

“Time!”  Balthazar called just seconds before the bell rang again.  He stepped forward to remove the apron from around Victor’s neck.

 

“I want to thank you both.  I think this is a better look than when I do my shows.  All the girls are going to be _so_ jealous.”  Victor said as he got to his feet.  He turned once more to Castiel, his eyes obviously wandering over the man’s body.  “You should come on down and see us, sugar.  Just tell them Diva Vanessa sent you.  The Chocolate Shop.” 

 

Without waiting for a response, Victor turned and marched out of the booth.

 

“Well, I think he was satisfied,” Balthazar said as he began straightening up.  Castiel chuckled and nodded.

 

“He looks amazing in gold.  I love the look I did on his lips, and his contour was perfect.  The man has an amazing complexion.” 

 

“I agree.  Now, here’s to hoping we don’t get eliminated in the first round.”  Balthazar held out his hand.

 

“Damn right.”  Castiel said before shaking it firmly. 

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

The first round eliminated 2 people: Nicole Sherlinger, a makeup artist who specialized more in horror movie special effects than normal makeup and her attempt at a “Night on the Town” turned out looking more like something out of a sci-fi movie, and Zita Proctori, a makeup artist that had worked on the set of shows like Gilmore Girls, Pretty Little Liars, and Gossip Girl, though eliminations didn’t show until they all were to return the following week.  Dean sat at home as the first episode aired, watching the interviews and then the model interviews.  Each one was very brief but he was pleased to see that almost nothing of his had been cut, and nothing had been cut of Castiel’s.  Watching the man on a 60 inch television made his blue eyes stand out even more, and every time he smiled, Dean’s heart began to race.  The man was stunning.

 

They had spliced the segments together so they were able to bounce back and forth between each booth and make it seamless, as though all 13 artists had been working on their models at the same time.  Roughly 2 minutes of each artist was shown, but he was pleased to see that they had shown his light-hearted talk with Doris, and her reaction when he was finished.  Then they gave a very brief interview of the models at the end.  For the most part, they all looked great. 

 

“Damn, Cas got a drag queen.  Lucky bastard,” he muttered when Victor, aka _Diva Vanessa,_ came sashaying out from behind a curtain wearing a slinky gold dress and flipping her long, blonde hair (which he was positive had _not_ been on Victor’s head when he walked in) over her shoulder and winking at the camera.  He was pleased though when Doris came out.  She looked years younger than 62, and they showed her husband’s reaction when he saw her.  It was absolutely perfect.  He cried as he leaned in and kissed her, and Dean knew that was going to win over American hearts.

 

They were back the following week, and that was when Nicole and Zita were pulled aside.  The interviewer took them aside to film their reactions to getting cut, and not long after that they were heading home.  Dean and Garth had already finished setting up, and they stepped out of the booth to watch the going home segment.

 

“Damn, I feel bad for them.”  Garth shook his head sadly as Zita wiped tears from her eyes and turned to hug Nicole.

 

“They’re the ones that were voted off?”

 

Dean and Garth both turned at the sound of the deep voice behind them and found Castiel standing there with a blonde man neither of them had seen before.

 

“Yeah.  It’s sort of bittersweet.  I know this is a competition and all, but it’s hard seeing them have to go.”  Garth offered his hand to the blonde man.  “I’m Garth.  This here’s Dean.”  The man smiled as he shook his hand though his gaze was locked on Dean.

 

“Dean, as in Dean Winchester, owner of Winchester Salons and Day Spas.  I’m Balthazar.  It’s a pleasure to finally meet you both.”

 

“I own the salons too.  We’re partners.”  Garth corrected him but when the man’s eyebrow shot up and both of Castiel’s rose, Dean was quick to add in that they were only _business_ partners.

 

“We were in cosmetology school together.  We make a good team.”  Dean explained.  Castiel nodded and jerked a thumb in Balthazar’s direction.

 

“I met this fool on a movie set.  He was doing hair for Selena Gomez.  We hit it off, ran into each other a few more times, and then I made the mistake of introducing him to my sister.  He’s practically my brother-in-law now.”  He laughed.  Dean and Garth joined in.  It was clear that Castiel was fond of the man though.

 

“Yeah, Dean introduced me to my fiancée.  She’s a friend of his brother Sam, and I thought she was awful pretty, so Dean dragged me over to meet her.  Turns out she was as nice as she was pretty.  That was what, 5 years ago?”  Garth looked to Dean, who shook his head and laughed.

 

“Dude, that’s _your_ anniversary you’re not remembering.  She’s gonna kick your ass if you forget!”

 

Garth grinned.  “Yeah, I’m sure it was 5 years ago.  And I have it written down, no worries.”

 

Dean was still laughing as he turned to Castiel.  Damn the man was fine.  Today he was in a steel gray button down, something high end, he could tell.  Probably Boss or Armani, and it emphasized his broad shoulders.  His black dress pants did little to hide his muscular thighs, and Dean did his best not to stare.

 

“So, you have a daughter?”  He asked, aiming for small talk.  Castiel nodded.

 

“I do.  Claire.  She’s 16.”

 

“You do not look old enough to have a 16-year-old.”  Dean was being honest.  He thought the man was younger than him, but maybe he wasn’t.

 

“I will take that as a compliment.”  Castiel’s smile was doing things to him, waking up things he hadn’t had to deal with in a very long time.

 

“It was meant as one,” he said, trying hard not to flirt with Garth and Balthazar standing right there.  Especially with the Brit watching him like he just knew what was on Dean’s mind.

 

“So, are we just meant to stand around and wait?”  Balthazar asked.

 

“They’ll tell us what to do when they’re ready,”  Castiel assured him. 

 

“Hey, Bella keeps walking past our booth.  She’s up to something.”  Garth hurried off to go back and watch their stuff.

 

“Is she a problem?”  Castiel asked.

 

“She’s a cheater.  Stole 2 of my brushes at a different challenge a few years ago.  Luckily, I had others.  Now, all of my cases have locks.  _And_ locators.  So if she decides to just steal the entire case, I _will_ find it.”  Dean kept his voice low as they watched the woman hurrying back towards her own booth.  “Don’t trust her.”

 

“I’ll check our things,”  Balthazar said as he hurried off. 

 

“You have quite the reputation.”  Castiel said once they were alone.  Dean shrugged.  He knew he did, but he wasn’t really one to brag. 

 

“I just work hard, like you do.  You’re pretty amazing.  I saw your work on the drag queen.  He looked hella good when you were done.” 

 

Castiel’s smile was damn near dazzling. 

 

“Coming from you, I take that as a very high complement.”

 

It irked Dean to hear this beautiful, talented man keep talking like Dean was better than him.  He had just been in more of these types of competitions, and knew how to do what it took to win.  Castiel stuffed his hands in pockets and moved closer to let people from wardrobe pass with a rack of clothes.  Dean caught a whiff of something amazing.  Whether it was cologne or body wash, he wasn’t sure, but the man smelled wonderful.  He lifted his blue eyes to find Dean watching him.

 

“Did you know who I even was before this show?”

 

“I’d heard your name around.  Heard Charlie’s, too.  I know Bela and Dick from other shows and networking.  I don’t like those 2,”  Dean replied.

 

“How eager are you to win?”  Castiel asked.  Dean tilted his head slightly, not sure exactly what he meant.

 

“Are you asking me if I’m a fight to the death type person, or the type that believes ‘may the best man win’?”

 

“I guess the first one.”  Castiel’s cheeks reddened slightly and his eyes dropped to the tops of his shoes.  The guy was dressed semi casually, and _still_ had to be wearing close to $800 worth of name brand stuff.  Whereas Dean was wearing one of the same flannels he’d owned since college.  It was becoming clear he and Castiel lived in 2 different worlds.  This guy was either a snob or just really out of his league.

 

“I am more the second type.  Sure, I’m in it to win it, but I’m also here to have fun, be challenged, and try something new.  I’m not here to screw people over or be an asshole.  That’s not me.  However…”  He took a step closer, noting the way Castiel sucked in a quick breath.  So the attraction _did_ got both ways.  “I’m also not a pushover.  Anyone that tries to screw me over, I will bury them.  So, what type are you?”

 

Castiel swallowed hard, his blue eyes wide as he stared at him.

 

“I want to win this so I can stay in the city, near my daughter.  The money would pay her way through cosmetology school, and help me open my own salon, so I wouldn’t have to do anymore shows like this.  While I want to say I’m ruthless, I’m not.  It’s why I’m no longer with my daughter’s mother, have limited visitation with my only child, and why I had to hire a financial planner to budget my money so my ex doesn’t bleed me dry.  I have a bad habit of letting others dictate what I should do with my life.  I’m trying to change that though.  I want to win this on merit and skill, not because I felt the need to destroy everyone else.  That’s not who I am.”

 

Maybe he’d been too quick to judge the man. 

 

“You’ve got a damn good shot at winning this.  Keep doing a great job and remember to show enthusiasm.  Even if they send you someone that looks like they have leprosy.  You smile and work your magic.  Besides, a little foundation will cover anything.”  Dean winked, delighting in the way the other man laughed suddenly.

 

“Thank you, Dean.  I was scared to be put up against you.  I feared you’d be some ruthless bastard that would make this a miserable experience for me.  I’m glad you’re not like I expected,”  Castiel admitted.  He smiled warmly and sent Dean’s heart into overdrive yet again.  “So, Dean, are you-”

 

He didn’t get to finish asking whether Dean was seeing anyone before someone came over a loudspeaker telling everyone to get ready, filming was about to start.

 

“We’ll pick this up later?” Dean asked.  Castiel nodded.  He was determined to find out if Dean was single. Someone as humble and attractive as Dean Winchester was not someone he wanted to pass up an opportunity to take out, assuming the man was interested.  He was fairly positive Dean was indeed interested.  His eyes always seemed to be checking him out, and more than once those mossy green orbs had flickered to his lips.  If there was a God in heaven, the rumors he’d heard about Dean would be true.

 

He watched Dean head back towards his booth, admiring the man’s legs and how there was a smooth sort of swagger to his step.  Dean carried himself with confidence that lacked cockiness.  That made him all the more sexy.  Balthazar waved to him, so he hurried over to him.

 

“Are they going to reuse the same models or do we get new ones?” he asked as Castiel stepped into their booth.

 

“I don’t know.  Are the models here yet?”  He poked his head out of the booth just as a group of people were led in.  Not a single one of these faces were familiar.  This was 11 completely new people.

 

“Different people this time,” he said.

 

“Bloody hell,”  Balthazar muttered. 

 

“Oh, I hope the theme for this one is something not obnoxious.”  Castiel was worried that they’d end up doing something horrible and the viewers at home wouldn’t understand.

 

“Alright!  Attention artists!  Today, odd numbers go first!  The models have received their numbers and the theme.  You know the drill, 30 minutes to work your magic!  Models, if you are holding a card with an odd number, please find your booth now!”  A man with a bullhorn announced.  Castiel glanced nervously back at Balthazar, who looked just as worried as he did.  To his surprise a young girl headed in his direction.  She looked only about his own daughter’s age. 

 

“Hello, what’s your name?”  He smiled warmly at the girl as she stopped in front of him.

 

“I’m Krissy.”  She held out her card.  “So, who’s doing my makeup?”

 

“That would be me,”  Castiel replied as he took the card.  The theme was “Pretty in Pink.”  Was that an ode to the movie or was it literally making Krissy pretty in pink?  As he contemplated his options, he directed her over to the chair.  She was dressed in ripped jeans, sneakers, a Blood on the Dance Floor tee shirt, black lipstick (he wanted to strangle whoever invented that crap) and more black eyeliner than any human being should ever wear on their eyes.  He had his work cut out getting that off.  Balthazar was already sliding the apron around her neck and pulling her long, dark locks out to lay over it.  She had a French braid in on one side of her hair and her dark eyes were narrowed as she looked at Castiel.  He just knew she was expecting to hate whatever he came up with. 

 

“So, Krissy.  Would you consider yourself goth?” he asked.  She cocked an eyebrow at her.  Now he noticed the septum piercing.  Oh, this show was really having a blast picking people off the street.

 

 

“I don’t really use labels, but…I guess.”

 

“Are you opposed to color?”  He watched as Balthazar quickly undid the braid and began brushing out her locks.

 

“I saw that pink crap.  I don’t want to look like Molly Ringwald or anything,” she replied.  Cas smirked.  She was sassy.  Just like his Claire. 

 

“No, I have something much different in mind.”

 

“Oh, this should be good,”  Balthazar snorted.

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

Dean nibbled at his lower lip as he watched the first episode over again on his phone.

 

“Did we look good?” Garth asked. He was sitting cross legged on the floor, flipping through a new hairstyling magazine he’d brought along to catch up on.

 

“Yeah, we did.  The producers keep trying to get me to wear designer clothes.  Do you think it will affect my contract if we win?  I have the clothes, I just…”  Dean shrugged.  “I like my jeans and flannels better.”

 

“You’re known for your clothing style.  It’s an intrinsic part of who you are.  So what if you come off as eccentric?  It just adds to your appeal and will make people want you more.”  Garth flipped the page, taking his time to study each picture.

 

“Yeah, maybe.”  Dean sucked on his lip as Castiel’s brief segment came up.  “Cas looks good the way he dresses.  You think I should try it?”

 

“It’s up to you.  We’ve always been the tee shirt and jeans types.  I’m comfortable the way I am now.  Don’t feel like you have to conform for anyone, because you don’t.”  Garth turned another page, pulling out a pen to make a note beside an article he planned to read later.

 

“Yeah, you’re right.  I just don’t want to seem unsophisticated or something.”  Dean sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face.

 

“Dean, you’re from Kansas. I’m from Tennessee. Sophisticated isn’t exactly in our blood. It’s never bothered you before; why now?” Garth stuck his finger in his magazine, closing it as he looked up. Dean could only shrug. 

 

“I dunno.  Was just thinking.”

 

Garth leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

 

“You like him, don’t you?  Don’t tell me you think he’s out of your league.”

 

Dean picked at an imaginary piece of lint on his tee shirt.  Garth had always been able to read him. 

 

“Maybe.  A little.”

 

“Well, I think it’s mutual, but if he can’t accept you as you are, then he’s not worth the time,” Garth said. 

 

“Yeah, ok, you’re right,”  Dean conceded.  Clapping outside the booths drew their attention, and Garth got up from his spot on the floor.

 

“I think it’s almost our time.” 

 

Dean stood up from the chair and tugged his tee shirt down.

 

“Yep.  Showtime.”

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

Castiel was impressed with himself.  Krissy had actually been pleased with the final product.  Sure, she wasn’t a fan of pink, but he explained that with her complexion, hair color, and eye color, she could pull off the same look with other colors.  He’d settled on a smoky eye, gone heavy on the eyeliner (just not as much as she’d walked in wearing.  She’d looked more like a raccoon than anything!) and added thick, fake lashes.  The end result was wide brown eyes softened by the pinks and white on her lids that gradually blended into the black at the corners.  Her face was round but contouring and highlighting showed off her already flawless complexion and emphasized her cheekbones more.  He’d briefly hemmed and hawed over what lipstick to use before finally settling on a deep red that he darkened with a dark brown lipstick.  A little pink blush on her cheeks and the candy pink extensions Balthazar added into her hair and she looked phenomenal.  He could do this.  They would win if he kept this up.

 

Once Krissy was gone he collapsed into the empty chair.  He was exhausted and so glad they weren’t doing double episodes.  This show was being run a little different than other ones, and for some reason they were taking everything slowly.  One episode at a time.  As the announcement was made for the second group to start heading to their chairs, Castiel pulled himself up to begin his cleanup.  He was tired and just wanted to go home and collapse into bed.  Later he’d call Claire and tell her what he had done so she would know ahead of time when the episode aired.  After gathering the brushes that needed to be sanitized, they packed their suitcases to go home.  As he passed Dean’s booth he glanced past the cameraman to see a beautiful woman sitting in the chair.  She was batting her eyes at Dean as he applied her makeup.  It made something hot and bitter flair deep in the pit of his stomach.  She was flirting with Dean, something he was even too afraid to do.  He left for home feeling an incredible sense of dread deep in the pit of his stomach.

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

“So, Dean, where are you from?  That’s definitely not a New York accent,”  Lisa, his model for the “Pretty in Pink” challenge, asked.

 

“Kansas.  I’m a country boy at heart.  Still have a farm back home too,” he replied.  She’d been flirting the entire time he’d been working on her, and he was doing his best to remain polite.  It wasn’t like this was the first time he’d been hit on, or even hit on while on camera.  If anything, he was used to this.  He just wanted to get through this challenge and see if maybe Castiel was still around.  Maybe they could go get a drink or something.

 

“Got a _family_ back on that family farm?”  She nearly ruined his application of her mascara when she tried to blink seductively at him.  Good thing he’d anticipated the move and had pulled the wand back in time.

 

“My parents live on it for now.  One day I’ll go home, raise cattle, maybe grow a few crops. But not for a few years. That’s where I want to retire.”

 

“Oh, you don’t plan to stay in New York?”

 

Garth rolled his eyes as he worked on curling and styling her hair, but Dean saw the gesture.  They shared a look before Dean dove back in to finish applying the mascara.

 

“Believe it or not, I’ve never been much of a city boy.  I like it just fine, but I miss my folks.  I’m happy I have my brother here in the city, and good friends like Garth here.”

 

He stepped back to check and make sure all of her talking and eyelash batting hadn’t ruined his work.  Once he was sure it was all perfectly in place, he added contouring and highlighting.  When he was finished he picked out the Rubellite pink, since her skin tone was warmer, and applied it.  Garth was just tucking the last of a series of bobby pins in place.  Dean reached for the handheld mirror and tried to resist just shoving it in the woman’s hand.  She smiled when their fingers brushed, but he ignored it.  Turning her around so she could see her face as well as her hair, he glanced up when the cameraman moved, and he was reminded again that all of this was being recorded.  The bell dinged, announcing the end of this round.  Dean almost sobbed with relief.  Lisa got to her feet, taking a moment to adjust her tight blouse, making sure her boobs were on display, and Dean made a point of turning his attention to Garth.

 

“Good job with her hair.  It’s so thick and wavy.  Was it hard to work with?”  he asked.

 

“You know I have enough experience to work magic with all hair types.  I dare say, it looks great.”  Garth preened a little, and he had every right to; her hair looked amazing. 

 

“Alright, Ms. Braeden.  Time for your interview,” the cameraman said.  She nodded and turned back to look at Dean one more time.

 

“It was great getting to work with you, Dean.  Maybe we’ll run into one another again.”

 

Dean offered his hand in a friendly shake.

 

“It was nice working with you as well, Ms. Braeden.  I hope you like what we did.  You have a great day.”  He pumped her hand once before pulling away and turning to collect his dirty equipment.

 

“Well, that was awkward,”  Garth snorted as he began doing his own cleanup.  Dean rolled his eyes.

 

“I hate when they flirt like that.  It’s in our contract not to fool around with the models, not that I would even want to, but that doesn’t seem to stop them from flirting.”

 

“Yeah, she was laying it on pretty thick.  I wonder what they’ll say in the episode when it airs.  I’m sure the producers will milk it for all its worth,”  Garth pondered.

 

“I don’t know, and frankly I don’t care.  They just better not come at me and expect me to flirt back or play into some kind of attraction because I won’t.”

 

Dean wasn’t doing anything outside of his contract.  He wondered if Lisa had been hand selected to be his model.  That thought didn’t surprise him in the slightest.  Using him for sex appeal to increase ratings was something he had expected.

 

“Let’s just clean up and go.  We’ll know next week whether we’re still going to be around another week.”  Garth sighed heavily as he tucked the used apron into his bag to take and wash.  Dean was gathering up his brushes.

 

“Sounds good to me.”

 

He was already exhausted and ready for this show to be over with.

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

As expected, they played up the attraction, though it had to be clear to the audience at home just how one sided it was.  Also, predictably the studio called to see if Dean would play along with the idea of a budding romance, but he refused.  Oh, they offered him more money, quite a bit more, but he still refused.  By the following week he half expected the voting to have been rigged so he and Garth would be the ones going home, but no, it was Charlie.  He felt awful about that and gave her a big hug.  They’d become friends, and he rather liked the feisty little redhead.

 

Castiel seemed standoffish, more so than usual, and Dean wished he knew why.  It wasn’t until Garth got to talking with Balthazar that Dean got any kind of clue.

 

“Balthazar says Castiel likes you, and he saw her flirting with you last week as they were leaving, and then when the episode aired…well, we know how they played it up.  You clearly weren’t interested.  Wouldn’t be surprised if America thinks you’re gay after that.” Garth had laughed.  Dean just shook his head.

 

“I don’t care what America thinks.  I care what _Castiel_ thinks.”  He sighed and flopped down in his seat.  “It’s not like I have an actual chance anyway.  Just forget I said anything.”

 

But Garth wouldn’t be Garth if he weren’t a persistent little fuck, and if he didn’t care about his best friend.  So after both Dean and Castiel had survived another week, he met with Balthazar for lunch.  There were no policies against it, he’d doubled checked the contract, and they were enjoying sushi as they talked.

 

“You’re certain Dean is interested still in Cassie?”  Balthazar asked.

 

“Positive.  He’s always staring and talking about him, and more than once he has talked about how hot Castiel is, though usually that just sort of slips out,”  Garth replied with a grin.  Balthazar chuckled.

 

“Yes, well, Castiel does much the same thing.  I suppose the rumors are true then?  Dean fancies men as well as women?”

 

“Dean likes them _more_ than women.  He’s dated maybe 2 women since I’ve known him, but he’s dated way more men.  He just doesn’t sleep with anyone though.”  Garth explained.  Balthazar nodded.

 

“Yes, well, Cassie is pansexual.  If someone is attractive and nice, it piques his interest.  And he’s very attracted to Dean.” 

 

“You think one of them will make a move if the other one wins?”  Garth asked. 

 

“Castiel is desperate for this contract, but I heard a rumor.”  Balthazar set down his chopsticks and leaned closer.  Garth did the same.

 

“Oh?  What kind of rumor?”

 

“They’re offering contracts to the winner _and_ the first runner up.  A million dollar contract to the winner and a $500,000 one to the runner up.  Castiel is good, but he lacks the natural talent Dean has.  However, I believe that if we keep assisting the way we have been and encouraging them to do their best, they should be the last 2 contestants.”  Balthazar’s smile was full of confidence, and it was rubbing off on Garth.  He’d already thought Dean was a shoo in, but he’d be sure to work hard to make sure they made it to the end. 

 

“So what do we do?  Shoving them in a closet and telling them they can’t come out until they kiss is very middle school.” 

 

Balthazar smiled.

 

“We gossip, of course.”

 

Garth grinned.  “Well you’ve got my attention.”

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

“You heard what?”  Dean had been sitting on his couch watching the latest episode of their show when Garth had just shown up.  Now they were sitting together, drinking beer and critiquing everyone’s work.  Dean was pretty sure it was Aaron or Bela getting kicked off this week.

 

“I heard that Castiel has been checking you out.  Said you were hot,”  Garth repeated.  He was fighting hard to maintain a cool, nonchalant attitude.  It went totally against his nature.  His friend’s eyes were boring holes into the side of his head; he could feel it.

 

“Castiel…said I was _hot_?  Who told you this?”

 

“I heard it from a couple of different people, actually.  Couple of producers were talking about it, some set designers.  And Balthazar even mentioned it.  He totally likes you.”  Garth took a sip of the beer he’d been given and hoped Dean wasn’t seeing through his lies.  Balthazar had told him not to let on that he’d been the sole source of this information.  They were both afraid Dean would be too skeptical and dismissive if he thought it came from only a single source.

 

“No fucking way; that has to be a joke,”  Dean snorted and turned his eyes back to the television. 

 

“Nope, not a joke.  We’ve gone out to lunch a few times, sometimes just us, sometimes with other people that assist other artists, and we just shoot the breeze and enjoy lunch together.  Like, Ruby, who is assisting Bela?  She says Bella has already tried multiple times to sabotage artists, and she’s targeting you and Castiel.  She’s pissed because you lock your boxes now and she doesn’t have the time to pick them, or I’m around to thwart her.  Every time I see her down by us I just strike up a friendly conversation to distract her until other people come along.  I’m pretty sure she doesn’t like me.  Oh, and Dick Roman gets blow jobs from Michael’s assistant in the bathroom.  Lots of juicy gossip.” 

 

Dean frowned as he turned back to the show.  Of course it was Castiel that was up, working his magic.  Every time he smiled, Dean’s stomach fluttered.  What if the rumors were true?  A brief snippet came up of him and Castiel talking.  They were discussing hair bleach, of all things.  He remembered that moment.  A quick conversation after he’d overheard Balthazar telling Castiel that he didn’t think he’d have time to bleach Claire’s hair until the show was over, and Dean, looking for any excuse to be in the man’s orbit had joined in.  Balthazar, as he was only just now noticing, had a knowing look on his face as he quietly slipped away, leaving him alone with Castiel.  Well, not as alone as he’d thought.  When they were told to return to their booths Garth had popped up to call him back and he went with.  And sure enough, Castiel was staring at his ass the entire time!  Did America catch that too?  The producers? 

 

It left him reeling, trying to determine how exactly to approach this situation.  He had an idea though.  There were 6 of them left.  Only a few more weeks to go…

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

It had almost come as a relief when Bela was voted out.  The girl with the blonde hair and the crazy name (Moonbeam Wolfhard, or something along those lines) he could never quite remember went next.  The week Dick Roman went, Dean and Garth actually high fived.  Castiel looked on in amusement.  He understood.  Dick had tried tampering with his stuff several times, and he had caught him each time.  In the last week, it was down to him, Michael, and Castiel.  And that didn’t make any sense.  That wasn’t supposed to happen until they were down to 2 people.  Castiel was nervous and it showed.  Nothing Balthazar said was calming him down so Dean caught him as he was coming out of the bathroom, just before they were going to start.

 

“Hey, Cas, you have a minute?”

 

Castiel nodded and stopped walking. 

 

“Sure, what did you want to talk about?”

 

“I know you’re nervous, but seriously, you have no reason to be, you’re an amazing artist.  I’ve been doing some thinking.  Did you notice that there are 3 of us left for the finale?”  Dean asked. 

 

“I did notice that.  I’ve been wondering if they were planning to eliminate 2 people and leave 1 standing.  Sort of like first, second and third place.”  Castiel replied.

 

“I have another theory.  I’ve done enough of these shows that 1 of 2 things usually happens.”  Dean held up a finger.  “First, there really is only a single winner and 2 people get let go.  In that case, there are usually other companies hovering in the wings just waiting to snatch the top person up for themselves.  It happens on pretty much every one of these reality shows.  In that case there’s really nothing to worry about.  Second,” he held up another finger.  “there are more than one winners, and they just didn’t tell us.”

 

His words did ease a few of Castiel’s concerns, but still the thought of “what if” lingered at the back of his mind.

 

“What if neither of those things happen though?” 

 

Dean smiled and took a tiny half step closer.  “I was thinking.  Even if one of those things does happen, this is going to get our names out there even more.  Instead of just the modeling or movie industries knowing who we are, all of America will know who we are.  I’ve talked in length with my manager, and he thinks now would be a perfect time to create my own makeup line.  Now, this is just a suggestion, but…what if we did something together?  And we could also do our own products.  I’m looking to make my own eyeshadows and lip colors, but that’s just to start.  We have the potential to create something bigger than what Estee Lauder is going to offer here, and to make it more affordable.”

 

“Our own makeup?”  Castiel had toyed a time or two with the idea, especially when he couldn’t find a lip color or a blush in the exact shade he wanted.  All the blending he did to achieve the looks he created, the time could be cut in half if the colors already existed.  He liked the idea of putting his name on something that he could work with extensively, but that anyone else wanting to could as well.  Doing it with Dean wasn’t a terrible idea either.  Clearly the man knew how to be successful.  He wasn’t opposed to a partnership, even if it was just in business. 

 

“Yeah.  I’ve seen some of the colors you’ve come up with and man, I’d love to get them into a palette and use them on people.  Besides, I think we’d work great together.”  Dean smiled, and Castiel was struck again by just how beautiful the man was.

 

“I would like that.  How much of an investment would be required?”

 

“I’ll talk to my manager.  He’s crunching the numbers,”  Dean promised.  They both fell silent, and Dean knew Castiel was thinking it over further. He was dying to know if Castiel was really interested in him.  Wanting to see what kind of reaction he got, he took another larger step forward.  Rather than step back, Castiel widened his stance, as though confirming that he wasn’t going to move.

 

“Dean?”

 

“Cas, would, uh…”  Dean scratched nervously at the back of his neck.  “Would you-”

 

“There you 2 are!”

 

They both startled and turned to see one of the production assistants hurrying over.

 

“We’re starting!  You need to get to your booths now!”  She was out of breath and looking rather frantic.  Dean reluctantly stepped back and turned to follow her.

 

“Yeah, ok.  Guess we need to get this show on the road.”

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

 

“He was going to ask me out; I know it.  Then that Becky woman interrupted,”  Castiel grumbled as he hurried through his setup.

 

“Don’t fret, darling.  Ask him out when this is over.”  Balthazar had already completed setting his things up so he was helping Castiel open all of his cases, get brushes and makeup ready, and make sure he had everything he would need.

 

“What do you think the final theme will be?”  Castiel asked.  Balthazar moved to the door and peeked out.  There was a small group of women standing there.

 

“No men this time, just women.”

 

Castiel frowned and moved to the doorway, leaning past his friend to look for himself.  There stood 6 women.  Why 6 though? Were they doing more than just 1 person?  As they watched, 3 more women walked in.  They all had long, flowing hair and were dressed in a variety of sweats and stretch pants. 

 

“Wait, I-I think I _know_ one of them.”  Balthazar gasped as the recognition set in.

 

“Like, former lover?  Because that would be weird if we got her.”  Castiel hoped that wasn’t the case.

 

“No, no, social circles we both run in.  She’s a ballerina.  They’re _all_ ballerinas.  Look at the way they move.”

 

Castiel watched the women, and they were indeed very graceful and fluid in their movements.

 

“Fine, whatever.  We still need to finish setting up.”  Just then the loudspeakers crackled to life.  They both lifted their heads as a familiar voice started talking.

 

“Attention artists!  Today’s challenges will be done with the lovely volunteers from the American Ballet company!  Everything will be done the same.  They will bring the card they are given to the correctly marked booth where their artist will have 30 minutes to complete the session with their hairstylist.  We wish you all luck but most of all, have fun!”  Becky was excitedly explaining.  It was hard not to recognize her voice; it tended to grate on one’s nerves.  They were just finishing as the first group was directed to the booths.  A girl with long, dark hair stepped into theirs, this time with 2 cameramen trailing behind her.

 

“Hi, I’m Nicole.”  She held out the card, and Castiel smiled warmly as he took it.   

 

“I’m Castiel, and this is Balthazar.  We’re going to spend the next 30 minutes making you look even more amazing than you already do.”

 

She laughed as he guided her to the seat.

 

“Flatterer.  I can’t wait to see what you do with me.”

 

Castiel smiled wider.

 

“Well, let’s get started, shall we?”

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

Ballerinas.  They had given them freaking ballerinas, and then told them to turn them into Disney princesses.  But oh, the show had gone one step further and dictated _which_ princess.  Currently Dean had Elsa sitting in his chair.  Who in the ever loving _fuck_ was Elsa? 

 

Her real name was Jess, and she was an incredibly pretty girl with deep blue eyes and curly blonde hair that fell just past her shoulders.  He wasn’t permitted to use his phone to look things up, so someone expected him to know in advance who Elsa was.  Thank God Garth already knew.

 

“We got the ice queen!  Sweet!”  the man declared as he started on her hair.

 

“Ice queen?  That’s not a princess then.  Care to elaborate?”  Dean asked.

 

“You…you don’t know who the ice queen is?” Garth looked genuinely perplexed by Dean’s lack of Disney royalty knowledge when his friend shook his head.  Garth sighed and rolled his eyes.  “The talking snowman movie.” 

 

Then it clicked. 

 

“Right!  Blonde, blue eyes, blue and silver dress?”

 

Garth nodded, smiling when he saw Dean already reaching for his brushes.

 

“That’s the one.”

 

Yeah, Dean could do this.  He found the right palette and got to work.

 

“So, Jess.  You’re a dancer.  That’s pretty cool.  How long have you been dancing?” he asked.

 

“Since I could walk, really.  My mother was a dancer, my sister and brother both dance.  I suppose it’s in my blood,” she replied.

 

“Impressive.  I can’t dance, myself, but you should see Garth here.  Get a beer in him, and he suddenly becomes a noodle on the dance floor.”  Dean flashed her a grin, not that she could see it with her eyes closed as he applied the first of the eyeshadow, but she could hear it in his voice and she smiled back.

 

“A noodle, huh?”

 

“Hey, I happen to be a very good dancer.  My fiancée tells me I’m a good dancer, but she prefers when I’m sober.”  Garth laughed.  Dean couldn’t help but chuckle too. 

 

They all chatted as Dean applied her makeup and Garth worked magic with her hair.  By the time they were finished Dean had to admit, they had done a phenomenal job of turning Jess into the ice queen.  When she looked into the mirror she squealed in delight.

 

“Oh!  This is amazing!”

 

Dean preened a little under the compliment but didn’t let it blow his head up too much.  Jess got to her feet and hugged him tight.

 

“I’m totally going to come into your salons more, you guys are fantastic!” 

 

“We truly do appreciate that.  You’ll get the same care in our salons that we showed here.  We care about our clientele,” he said as he hugged her back.

 

Jess skipped off, and Dean hurried to gather up the used brushes.  He had enough on hand to see at least 10 people so doing 3 in a single day was nothing for him.  Garth hummed as he cleaned up.  A producer came walking in just as Dean was setting up for the next model.

 

“Hello, boys.” 

 

Dean sighed internally and turned around.

 

“Hello, Mr. Crowley.”

 

The man smiled but there was nothing friendly about it.  He looked about as done with this show as they were.

 

“So as I’m sure you’ve figured out, there are 3 contestants left and 9 models today.”

 

“Yeah, I assume we’re each taking on 3 models today.”  Dean leaned back against the table and crossed his arms.

 

“That would be correct.  After that we’ll be interviewing you, Castiel, and Michael.  It will be a full day of filming.  You have a 20 minute break in between each model so you can use the bathroom, get something to drink, and chat with the other contestants.  We do ask that you refrain from speaking to the models themselves until they are sitting in your chair.  Each model will come with a different theme, and you will still have your allotted 30-minute time frame to complete the challenge.”

 

“That’s fine.  So my 20 minutes starts now?”  Dean asked.

 

“Indeed.  Do you have any questions?”  Crowley looked bored, as though he didn’t care if they had questions at all.

 

“No, I think we’re good.”  Dean looked at Garth, who nodded in agreement.

 

“Fine.”  Crowley didn’t even say goodbye before he turned and marched out.  Dean scrubbed a hand down his face and looked over at his friend.

 

“So.  What do you feel our chances are?”

 

“I think we’re doing great.”  Garth smiled happily.  “We’ve nailed every single challenge.  I’ve been checking the polls, and we’re ahead by a substantial margin.  Castiel is holding his own in 2nd place though.”

 

“There are polls you can check?”  Dean had no idea about that.  Garth pulled out his phone and tapped away on it.  When he’d found the poll in question, he turned it so Dean could see.

 

“That’s just a gossip site, man.  I don’t put stock into that.”  Dean wasn’t terribly worried.  He knew how these types of shows worked.  He just had to hang on for the ride.

 

“I’m going to go and talk to Cas.  You good?”  He pushed off the table and smoothed down the front of his tee shirt.  It had been so hot this morning that he’d decided to forgo wearing a flannel. 

 

“Go get ‘em, tiger,”  Garth teased.  Dean grinned.

 

“I plan on it.”

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

Castiel had just finished creating Jasmine, using shades of teal and purple, and he’d been rather pleased with the outcome.  So had the girl whose name was Rosie.  Then Crowley had come by.  Why he hadn’t thought to come and talk to them _before_ they started with the models, he had no idea.  Were they trying to get the artists to slip up?  It’s something he wouldn’t put past any of the show’s producers.  Mistakes drove up ratings when the artist got upset and freaked out over something, like Bela going nuts when one of her blending brushes broke as she was applying eye shadow a few weeks back and the entire eye had to be redone.  She’d chosen to blow up instead of just hurrying to fix the mistakes and get a new brush.  It had cost her votes.

 

Balthazar went to get more brushes and hair accessories out of the car while he busied himself with setting aside the dirty brushes that would need to be cleaned later.  He was lost in thought when someone cleared their voice from the doorway.  Turning around he saw Dean standing there.

 

“Oh, hello, Dean.”  He set down the brush in his hand as Dean crossed the tiny space to stand in front of him.

 

“Hey, Cas.  You got a minute?  I know you’re cleaning up and all…”

 

“No, it’s fine.  We have time before the next models arrive.”  Castiel didn’t want Dean to leave.

 

“Where’s Balthazar?”  Dean asked.

 

“Getting brushes and other supplies from the car.  I apparently didn’t bring enough in,”  Castiel replied.  After a beat he asked, “Was there something you wanted to talk about?”

 

Dean absently picked at the fake leather of the chair, and Castiel got the impression that he was nervous.  It was actually adorable.

 

“Uh, yeah, actually.”  He looked back over his shoulder, making sure there were no cameras watching them.  When he turned back to look at Castiel he shivered under the intensity of his gaze.  The man stood silently waiting.

 

“Look, Cas, I, uh, like you.  I was wondering if, after this is all over you’d like to go to dinner with me.”

 

Castiel smiled wide as he stepped closer.

 

“I’d love that.  Were you thinking tonight?  Crowley says we’re in for a very long day of filming.”

 

“Well, we can go out for drinks tonight with everyone else, but I’d like to take you out tomorrow night.  Just you and me.  And no cameras.”  Dean smiled, and it made Castiel’s heart flutter.

 

“Ok.  Give me your phone; I’ll put my number in.” He held out his hand and Dean gave him his phone.  It took only a few seconds to add his number.

 

“We have 10 minutes left.  I need to use the bathroom before the next models come in,” he said as he handed the phone back.  Dean cocked his head, his confusion apparent.  Castiel had just used the bathroom before the last challenge.  He gave Dean a pointed look and suddenly it clicked.

 

“Oh, yeah, now that you mention it, so do I.  I’ll go with you.”

 

Castiel smiled, his delight obvious as they made their way to the bathrooms.  Once they were inside and the door was closed, he pinned Dean up against the wall.

 

“This ok?”  His lips hovered mere inches from Dean’s, and that just wasn’t satisfactory.  Dean wound his fingers into the man’s hair and dragged him forward until their mouths met, answering the question with his lips and tongue.  It was hot, demanding and left them both panting and grabbing at each other as they tried to cram as much passion into that 10 minutes as they could possibly manage.  When it came time to return, Castiel reluctantly stepped back.

 

“What do you think our next challenge will be?  It would seem they’re all ballerinas.”  He asked.

 

“I think they’re going to be pretty out there, just to really see what we can do.  Don’t panic, no matter what they throw at us.  They almost got me with that princess challenge, but I think I did ok in the end.”  Dean replied.  He smoothed his shirt back down from where Castiel had shoved it up as his hands had wandered underneath it earlier.

 

“What princess did you get?”  Castiel was curious.

 

“I got a queen, not a princess.  Elsa, to be specific.  I didn’t know who she was.  Thank God Garth knew and reminded me.  My cousin Jo has a little girl that loves that stupid movie.”  Dean chuckled as he opened the door and they stepped out into the hall.

 

“Oh, from Frozen.  I bet you made her look gorgeous.”  Castiel was dying to take Dean’s hand as they walked but people were everywhere, most watching them.

 

“She was a beautiful girl already, but yeah, she looked great when I was done.  Who did you get?”  Dean asked.

 

“Jasmine, from Aladdin.  I used shades of teal and purple with a bit of white and gold.  She was stunning.”  Castiel was particularly proud of that one.

 

“I can’t wait to see it; I know you did a great job.”  Dean bumped shoulders with him and smiled.  Castiel smiled back.

 

“Well, let’s see what else this show has to throw at us,”  Castiel said as they reached their booths.  Dean chuckled and nodded.

 

“I look forward to it.”

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

Cas folded his legs up underneath himself and looked nervously at the television.

 

“Relax, this is just the episode, and I know we both did a good job.  I can’t speak for Michael though.  Guess we’ll see soon enough.”  Dean said as he sat down next to him with a big bowl of popcorn. 

 

“Hey, pass some over.”  Charlie grabbed the bowl and stuck it in Castiel’s lap, not that he was complaining.  Food gave him a distraction from chewing his fingernails off.  Garth was on the floor in front of the couch and leaned back to grab a handful.

 

“This is going to be awesome!”

 

“You want some?”  Dean pointed at the bowl as he looked at Balthazar who was relaxed in one of the armchairs.

 

“Not at the moment.  I’m afraid my stomach is as much in knots as Cassie’s,”  The man confessed.

 

“I think we did great.  Too bad Red got kicked off before Bela.”  Dean looked over at Charlie, who shrugged.  They’d become pretty good friends in the few weeks they’d had together on the show and now they hung out quite a bit in their off time.

 

“There were people there way more talented than me.  But it was fun while it lasted.”  She grinned wide, making them all chuckle.  The show started and they all fell silent, eyes riveted to the screen.  Dean liked watching the episode as it aired every week, and he liked having people over to watch it with.  Who better than the people that worked with him?

 

“Oh, she really does look gorgeous.”  Castiel murmured when the cameraman filmed Dean working on Jess.

 

“Like I said, she was already a pretty girl; I just worked with what was already available.  It didn’t require a whole lot.”  Dean slung an arm around his shoulder and smiled when Castiel leaned into his side.

 

“Michael got Ariel.  That’s funny.  Look they even had a red wig, just not the right shade. I don’t think he should lose votes for that though.  No one carries around wigs that bright red for competitions like this.”  Garth murmured more to himself than anyone, but Balthazar was nodding in agreement.

 

The rest of the show went much the same way, critiquing their own work as well as each other’s.  Dean was not entirely pleased with his Doctor Who themed challenge, though everyone else disagreed, and Castiel cringed at his art inspired look.  They’d been given an artist and told to create a look based on it.  And for some ungodly reason, he’d gotten Salvatore freaking Dali.  Dean had gotten Monet and Michael had Fragonard.  Castiel was glad he didn’t get that one, he didn’t even know who that was.  By the end of the show he had his head on Dean’s shoulder and was back to gnawing at his fingernails.

 

“I am pretty sure Michael is out of there.”  Balthazar now had the nearly empty bowl and was munching on the popcorn.

 

“I think he’s right.  Did you see the panicked look on his face when he saw the card?  He didn’t know who Fragonard even was,”  Garth said.

 

“I hate that I got Dali.  I tried my best with that.”  Castiel was trying not to sound pouty, but he really didn’t like that particular challenge.

 

“Well, I think we all did rather well.  Their interviews had been predictable, even the host became nosey, asking if any of them had found any of the models attractive, and would they want to pursue something with one of them after the show had ended.  Dean knew that was mostly directed at him, though the question had to look neutral, so Castiel and Michael had been asked it as well.  Michael had been blunt in his answer.

 

“I’ve been with my partner, Luke, for 15 years.  I wouldn’t ruin that by pursuing someone else.”  And he didn’t elaborate any more on that subject.  Dean had felt the excitement the host, a woman by the name of Donna, was radiating.  They wanted him to say he was thinking of looking Lisa up.  He could just see the wheels turning.  Attractive “straight” male makeup artist asks out beautiful woman that modeled for him.  It was the making of a new reality show, and he wanted no part of it.  Instead, he leaned back, crossed his legs and smiled at Donna.

 

“I’m seeing someone.  It’s new, but I wouldn’t ruin it. He’s a fabulous guy, and I’m enjoying getting to know him.”

 

Donna actually floundered, and off camera he could see the producers and assistants suddenly start whispering to one another.  The looks of shock on some and anger on others was downright comical.  Only Crowley stood there, smiling smugly. 

 

“H-him?”  Donna ventured.

 

“Yeah.”  He decided to really fuck with America.  Sitting forward, his eyes wide and as innocent as he could muster, he put a hand to his chest.  “Did you think I was straight?”

 

Donna just blinked.  Off camera Crowley had to stifle a laugh.  Of all the makeup artists they had brought on this show, roughly 2/3 of them were gay or at least queer.  If not ¾.  And they really expected that he was straight?  Castiel stood off camera, a hand clamped over his mouth as his entire body shook with silent laughter.  Dean sat back again and smiled.

 

“I have dated women, but I do not find them sexually attractive, not that that’s pertinent to this show.  So, since I only had female models this time around, my answer would be no, I will _not_ be pursuing anything with any of them.  Even if things didn’t work out between the guy I’m seeing now and myself, I still would not.”

 

The rest of his interview had gone quickly, almost like they were eager to get him off the stage.  He wondered if that would cost him votes.  It was mostly housewives watching the show, and he doubted most of them cared whether the artists were straight or not.  Then it was Castiel’s turn.  Dean stood beside Crowley watching as his handsome new beau took the seat across from Donna. It was clear that Castiel didn’t like the spotlight being on him in this manner.  While he worked and could ignore the cameras was one thing, but with a light shining in his face and Donna smiling almost maniacally at him, it was unnerving.  More than once he looked over at Dean, who smiled encouragingly.

 

He was asked the same host of questions, to which he answered quickly but honestly.  When the question about his possible interest in any of the models came up, his irritation showed.

 

“I know this is not a question that was even meant for me, but I’ll answer it anyway.  I am a professional.  I do not date my clients.  Ever.  Even when they’re not paying me and are hired by the show.  I respect them, I do my best to make them look amazing, and I enjoy what I do.  If I let feelings get in the way of that, my work would be subpar, and that’s not the kind of person that I am.  I keep my dating life out of my client’s chair.  Besides, I’m seeing someone and there’s no way I would jeopardize that.”

 

Well, in 1 fell swoop, all 3 men had managed to squash the idea of a spinoff show, and Dean was practically giddy with that knowledge.  He did feel that of the 3 of them, he had probably ticked the producers off the most, and if indeed the votes were rigged, he’d definitely be losing.  But, Estee Lauder was the one footing the bill, and he was pretty sure they would have the final say.  They just had 1 more week to wait.

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

“I’m going to be sick.”  Castiel bent over, placing his hands on his knees as he tried to fight against the nausea he’d been feeling since he’d arrived at the studio 10 minutes earlier.  Due to some holiday show being aired, they’d asked everyone to come back the following week for the results.  Dean still had not arrived, but Michael was there and he chuckled as he patted Castiel on the back.  Balthazar was God knew where, and Michael’s assistant Darcy was probably peeing.  Again.  She was 9 months pregnant and ready to burst as it was. 

 

“First television show, right?”

 

Castiel took a deep breath and stood up, nodding because he didn’t trust himself to speak.  Michael grinned.

 

“I’ve lost count of how many I’ve done.  But it hasn’t all been competitive like this.  Some was just behind the scenes type things, documentaries, and other things.  I’m used to being in the spotlight, but I still prefer not to be.  This is stressful, and the goading us with the romance questions last week was ridiculous.  I know they were trying to push something between Dean and that one woman he did during the Pretty in Pink challenge.  I overheard her talking to one of the producers about how attractive Dean was, and how she’d be game for a spinoff show if Dean was too.  I’m rather impressed that Dean nipped that so firmly in the bud.  I watched that with my partner and our kids, and we all had a good laugh over it.”

 

Castiel smiled.  “Yes, that was unexpected, and it’s clear the network wasn’t happy about it.”

 

Michael leaned closer and dropped his voice as he whispered “Screw the network.  If I win this contract, great.  If I don’t, I work on runway models and it pays very well.  I think your chances are better than mine anyway.”

 

Castiel was curious.  Usually on shows like this there was a deep competitive nature and people fought bitterly, everyone trying to claw their way to the top.  The 2 that had been the worst about that had been voted off fairly early on.  Everything since then had been smooth sailing.  He got along with both Michael and Dean, even before he and Dean had confessed their feelings to one another.

 

“I think the show was hoping there would be more animosity between all of us.  We have disappointed them.”

 

Michael laughed but nodded.  “Then perhaps they should have voted Bela or Dick through to the end.”

 

Castiel grinned.  He was right.  Movement to their right caught their attention, and they saw Dean walking in with Garth.  The moment Dean’s eyes landed on him, the man was smiling wide.

 

“Hey, did I miss anything?” he asked as he stopped beside Castiel.  His hand briefly touched the man’s lower back before he shoved them both in the pockets of his jeans.

 

“No, we’re waiting.  Donna is doing some kind of spiel now about how America voted, and that this whole thing was exciting.  Blah, blah, blah.”  Michael rolled his eyes, making them both laugh. 

 

“Well, I’m pretty confident.  Hey, where are Balth and Darcy?”  Garth asked.

 

“Darcy has been put on bed rest.  She’s having a few complications resulting from being on her feet through this whole thing, so the doctor made her stay home.  However, a cameraman was supposed to have been sent to do a live feed from her spot in bed,”  Michael replied.

 

“Balth is around.  He went out with my sister last night to celebrate.  They decided the on again, off again thing was going to come to an end and he proposed.  So they went and got plastered last night.  I opted not to join in or I’d be even worse off today.”  Castiel laughed.  “He’s probably hiding in the bathroom downing aspirin and trying not to let his head explode.”

 

“I’ll go check on him,”  Garth said.  “I have an extra egg and sausage croissant that might help his hangover.”

 

Castiel took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.  Dean leaned close enough so only he would hear him.

 

“Are you ok?”

 

“I’m nervous.  This is very stressful.  How is it that you’ve done this over and over again?  I passed on breakfast and my morning run because I thought I might throw up.”  The queasy feeling was still there but having Dean this close was definitely helping.

 

“So, how long have you 2 been dating?”  Michael asked.  Dean grinned even as Castiel whipped his head around to stare in wide-eyed shock.

 

“What?” 

 

“Babe, he has eyes.”  Dean chuckled softly.

 

“I thought we were being discreet until the show was over!”  Castiel hissed.

 

“I just see the way you 2 look at each other. I wasn’t sure, it was really just a shot in the dark. Glad to know my instincts were right though,” Michael said.

 

“It’s new, he asked me out on the day of the last challenge, but…”  He smiled at Dean.

 

“Yeah, I’m crazier about Cas than I thought I would be,”  Dean said, smiling back.

 

“That’s how Luke and I met.  On a show, we were both competing and we were down to where there were only a few people left.  We got into an argument, over what I can’t remember now, but he just grabbed me and kissed me.  After that, we went to dinner and we’ve been together ever since.  Moved in together 3 months later, bought a house about 3 years after that, when we decided we wanted kids and our condo was not big enough.  We have a 10-year-old son, Sebastian, and an 8-year-old daughter, Scarlet.  I couldn’t have asked for a better partner.  You 2 remind me of us back then,”  Michael said fondly.  Castiel smiled and tugged one of Dean’s hands out of his pocket.  He slotted their fingers together.

 

“Yeah, Cas here is pretty amazing,”  Dean admitted.

 

“Well, the feeling is mutual.”  Castiel leaned in and kissed his cheek softly.

 

The wait was ridiculous but soon Garth and Balthazar were sent back from the bathroom, Balthazar finishing off the last few bites of his sandwich along the way, and then all 5 men were being directed onto the stage where Donna was waiting.  She looked ready to burst with excitement.

 

“You guys ready?” she asked.

 

“Ready as we’ll ever be,”  Dean replied, flashing her his most charming smile.  She nearly squealed with delight as the camera lights blinked on and the lights above swiveled in their direction.

 

There were no seats this time.  They were expected to stand and await the verdict.  Michael stood with his hands behind his back, eyes scanning out over the crowd.  Dean realized his partner Luke was probably out there somewhere.  Castiel stood beside Dean, still looking mildly sick.  Balthazar and Garth stood off to the side watching and waiting.  Garth looked excited whereas Balthazar had his hands pressed together, as if in prayer, the index fingers of both hands pressed against his lips.  Donna was blabbing about votes and skills, reminding the viewer audience at home just how experienced each man was.  Dean tuned her out, plastering a smile on his lips as he waited for someone to say his name.  Donna stopped in front of them, smiling so wide they could see every tooth in her mouth.  She held up an envelope.  The results.  Dean tuned back in for that, noting how Castiel seemed to edge closer to him in that moment.  He resisted the urge to put an arm around his shoulders and tug him those last few inches.  Instead he focused on Donna and the words she was saying.

 

“_in here.  And I know we threw you all for a loop when it came down to 3 contestants instead of 2.  We have a surprise for you!”  She looked at each of them.  They all returned her smile, even if Castiel was slightly green around the gills.

 

“The Estee Lauder company has decided to offer contracts to the top _2_ contestants!” she exclaimed.  Castiel looked over at Dean, who smiled encouragingly.  He’d been right.  He turned his gaze back on, Donna who was still talking as she started opening the envelope.  And then she abruptly stopped and hugged it to her chest.

 

“But that doesn’t mean things are over for the last contestant.  No!  Other contracts are a possibility, as the company is very impressed with everything you all can do!”

 

Dean had dressed in jeans, the network couldn’t force him not to short of knocking him out and putting him in dress pants, but he had decided to wear a white button down with a black blazer.  He shoved his hands in the pockets as he waited for the buildup to be over, and for the overly perky blonde to announce the winners.

 

“Michael!”  She exclaimed suddenly.  He smiled softly.

 

“Yes?”

 

“How would winning this contract affect your life?” she asked.

 

“Well, in the past I’ve worked with some amazing companies, and I’ve always wanted to work with Estee Lauder.  The name alone commands respect, and they are renown in this industry.  Getting to work with them would be a dream come true,” he replied. She turned to Castiel. The question felt redundant.  They had asked at the beginning of the series what they would do if they won the contract.  Perhaps the goal was to see if their answers would still be the same.

 

“And you, Castiel?”

 

“Well, earning the contract would afford me both the opportunity to work for one of the top companies and it would also allow me to stay close to my daughter, to hopefully show her the ropes so that in just a few years’ time she might be here where we are now, but it goes beyond that.  I love what I do.  I’m an artist, and the human face is my canvas.  To get to do that for one of the companies I admire the most, it’s something I would greatly look forward to.”

 

Even Dean was impressed with his answer.  When Donna turned to him he smiled sheepishly.

 

“What he said, minus the daughter part.”  Donna and the audience all laughed.

 

“But seriously. I’ve been in this industry for nearly 2 decades now, and there is nothing that I love more than this.  At this point my brushes are almost an extension of me, and to get to wield them for a company like Estee Lauder, it would be an honor.  I’ve worked with some of the best companies, but never one that would afford me the opportunity to work from right here in the city.  With the lack of travel involved I am thinking it’s time to start seriously considering buying a house and settling down.  I’ll never stop doing what I love, and this contract would allow me to continue doing it but also give me a chance to start a family of my own.”

 

Donna seemed pleased with his obviously bullshit story, and she was babbling again to the audience.  He’d laid it on thick, telling the audience here and at home exactly what they wanted to hear.  The truth was, he didn’t need the contract in order to think about settling down.  He had the money from the salons.  Both he and Garth were very wealthy and even if he never did another person’s makeup again, he’d never hurt for money.  He had no intentions of stopping though.  This was where his passion lay, and he wasn’t going to give it up for anyone.  Good thing he was dating another makeup artist as passionate as him.

 

The blabbing went on, and several CEOs from Estee Lauder were pointed out in the audience.  Hey, Dean realized he knew one of them!  His brother’s friend Celeste was sitting front and center.  When their eyes met, she smiled knowingly.  It didn’t mean he was going to win though.  But his chances were good that they’d still offer him some kind of contract.  Suddenly Donna was back in front of them, back to opening the sealed envelope.  Dean felt Castiel tense up next to him, but he just smiled at both him and Michael.  They both smiled back.  He got a kick out of how there was no animosity between any of them, unlike how the show had wanted. 

 

“Ok, so, 3rd place goes to….”  She pulled the card out and read the results first to herself.

 

“Michael Angelino and Darcy Meyer!”

 

Michael smiled wider and when Crowley motioned for him to step forward, he did.  On the screen behind them Darcy could be seen in her bed at home, clapping and crying happy tears.  Donna was congratulating him on a job well done and then Darcy was slid into the upper corner of the screen so all of Michael’s and her challenges from every episode could play.

 

“You still want to do the makeup line with me if you win?”  Dean leaned over and whispered in Castiel’s ear.  The man nodded eagerly.

 

“To get my name on my own product?  Absolutely!  What about you?  You’re sure you’ll still go through with it if you win?”

 

“Nothing’s going to stop me, babe,”  Dean replied, smiling warmly at him.

 

“I really want to kiss you right now, you know that?”  Castiel shook his head, smiling as he looked over to where Michael was now exiting the stage.  He gave a thumbs up back at them.

 

“We’ll save that for later,”  Dean teased. 

 

“Castiel and Dean!  You 2 were voters’ favorites, and throughout this entire roller coaster of a ride, you’ve been neck and neck.  The final votes have been calculated and while the margin was close, 1 of you _did_ garner more votes.”  She had the card clutched to her chest again and was smiling wide.

 

“Donna, you’re killing us.”  Dean laughed.  Laughter murmured across the audience.  Even Castiel smiled, but he nodded as well.

 

Donna held the card up in front of her face and read it again. 

 

“The winner of ‘Operation Makeup Artist’ is…”

 

Dean still thought the show’s name was stupid.

 

“Dean Winchester and Garth Fitzgerald!”

 

And that was actually unexpected.  Garth yelped excitedly behind him.  Dean blinked in surprise, then blinked again.

 

“Really?”

 

Donna bounced on her heals and nodded excitedly.

 

“Congratulations, Dean and Garth!”

 

He looked over at Castiel, who was smiling.  It came as more of a relief than he’d realized.  Had Castiel looked upset, he would likely have flat out declined the win.  But no, his boyfriend was happy for him, because he knew there was something just as good in store for him.  Several somethings, actually.

 

Donna directed them to the center of the stage where 2 people from Estee Lauder were waiting to congratulate them.  One was holding some kind of plaque while the other was holding one of those stupid, giant checks.  Boy, they were going all out corny for this.  Graciously they both shook hands with the reps and then gave one another a friendly, congratulatory hug.  Castiel was still standing off to the side, unsure of what to do or where to go.  One of the reps motioned for him to come over.  Slowly he made his way over, coming the stand between Dean and Garth.

 

“On behalf of Estee Lauder, we would like to offer you a contract with one of our other companies.  MAC and Smashbox are both in need of expert artists for our runway shows.  The choice would be yours,”  the tall man with the thick mustache said as he shook Castiel’s hand. 

 

“What kind of contract are we talking about?” 

 

“If you’d like to step backstage with us, we’ll discuss that in detail more.”  The man replied.  Castiel nodded and followed them off stage, but not before looking back at Dean.  He smiled one last time.  This had been the experience of a lifetime, one he didn’t relish ever going through again, but this was a contract that would leave him here in the city, near Claire, and still pay the bills. He had a gorgeous boyfriend that actually had potential to be more at some point down the road, and they were going to launch their own makeup brand, possibly under one of these companies. All in all this had worthwhile.  Dean caught his eye just before he ducked out of sight and winked.  He couldn’t resist blowing him a kiss.  No one on stage or in the audience would see anyway. Later he’d make sure he gave Dean the real thing.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to everyone who read this. Kudos and comments are always welcome. I am seeing them, and I'm answering as many as I can when I do have wifi. 
> 
> **Day 23 Prompt:** Being Old Together


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